When you have an animal companion, you may wonder if it's the strongest, and Temtem constantly asks that question. It throws a bunch of tamers and wild Temtem at you to test your skills as a tamer and the strength of your Temtem. Despite that, defeating a bunch of random travelers isn't tangible enough proof of your talent.
Instead, you'll need to go to the different dojos across the region, take on the tamers, and defeat their leader. The first one you'll encounter is the Arissola Dojo, with its scattered layout and Sophia as the top tamer.
The Arissola Dojo And Sophia
At the beginning of your Temtem journey, Arissola will be the first big city you'll reach. As such, it hosts the first Dojo you'll visit. Unfortunately, you won't be able to enter right away. First, you'll need to get past the Gifted Bridges to Windward Fort.
After you make your way through there and find Sophia, the Dojo Leader, you'll be able to enter and take on the challenge. Make sure you do plenty of training before you do so, as these will be the toughest fights yet.
How To Beat the Arissola Dojo
The first thing to note about the Dojo is that it uses two types of Temtem - Wind and Water. There's no shortage of either typing in the surrounding regions, but they both share a weakness in Electric-type Temtem. Luckily, you can find Ganki on the way to Arissola, and Scarawatt can be found in Windward Fort. If both are trained enough, they can prove invaluable allies in this Dojo.
The next thing you'll need to note is that on average, the lowest level of Temtem in this Dojo is 18. To guarantee a relatively painless ordeal, train your Temtem to be higher than level 20 at least. The most common opponents you'll encounter are Wiplump, Ukama, and Nessla. The first two are a mix of Wind and Water respectively, but the third is more troublesome. Not only is Nessla able to use Electric moves, which can be powerful on their own, but it has an ability that makes it immune to Electric. Both Teteru and Skail are handy to have around as they are both Neutral types and can provide alternate attacks.
Then there's the unusual layout of the Dojo. It's a combination of platforms that are separated by huge gaps and elevations. You'll need to use the air vents to cross the gaps and geysers to climb up. Because of this, you'll face several tamers on the way to Sophia. Make sure you have a full Temessence Vial, extra healing items, and a Smoke Bomb to retreat if things get too rough.
Finally, there's the big fight against Sophia. Despite being the first Dojo Leader, she has a full team of six Temtem all around level 20 and higher. She only has two water types and no Nessla, so a high-level Ganki or Scarawatt will be able to do some serious damage. However, her first threat is Sparzy. This vicious Temtem moves fast, is resistant to Electric, and dishes out powerful Electric moves that can Ensnare your Temtem. Having a Saku which can land some solid Nature and Poison moves will help take it out.
Then there's her ace, Oceara. This is an uncommon Water Temtem that relies mainly on Ice attacks to Freeze your Temtem in place. Should you have any Electric types still active by this point, they can defeat it pretty quickly.